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Rich Hale vs. DJ Linderman
The fight was in the semifinals of the Bellator season four light-heavyweight tournament. The Fight The first round began. Hale landed a leg kick, and an inside kick. Four thirty-five. Hale landed a pair of leg kicks there. Linderman landed a left dodging the counters. Four fifteen. Linderman landed a leg kick. Linderman blocked a high kick. Four minutes. Three thirty-five. It looks like a middleweight versus a heavyweight. Hale has a large height advantage. Hale landed a straight left. Three fifteen as Linderman landed a leg kick. Hale landed a counter left hook after eating a right hand. Three minutes. Hale landed a leg kick and another. Linderman landed a leg kick. Two thirty-five as Hale missed a high kick. Hale landed a hard leg kick. Linderman replied with a body kick. Two fifteen. There was a slight mouse under the right eye of Hale. Two minutes. They clinched, Hale kneed the body. Hale worked lefts inside. They broke. One thirty-five. One fifteen left. Hale landed a leg kick. Linderman blocked a high kick. One minute. Hale was bleeding slightly from one nostril. Linderman missed a spinning back fist. Hale missed a spinning high kick. Thirty-five. Linderman landed a right hand. Hale missed a jumping knee. Fifteen. Hale landed a pair of counter rights -- uppercuts -- and a left hook. They clinched. Linderman was hurt briefly. The first round ended. I'd give Hale that round by a decent margin. The second round began. Linderman caught a high kick but lost it. Linderman landed a spinning back fist, dropped Hale, they clinched. Four thirty-five. Linderman worked a double. He got it to side control. Hale stood eating a knee to the body. They broke. Four fifteen. Smith gave it 10-9 Linderman, the first round. They clinched there. Four minutes. Hale kneed the groin, Linderman had to take a moment. The crowd booed loudly. 'You gotta be in a neutral corner,' the ref told Linderman. They continued. Hale landed a leg kick. Three thirty-five. Three fifteen. Hale landed a leg kick. Linderman checked another. Three minutes. Linderman blocked a high kick and ate an inside kick and a leg kick. Linderman was moving forward a lot. Hale landed an inside kick and a leg kick. There was a mouse forming under Linderman's right eye. He missed a spinning back fist, blocked a high kick and ate a leg kick. Hale landed a body kick and a right hand. Two fifteen. Two minutes. Linderman landed a jab. Hale landed a left hand and a leg kick. One thirty-five. Nice head movement from Hale, Linderman kneed the body. Hale landed an uppercut and a left hand. One fifteen. Hale landed a jab there. Linderman landed a straight left. One minute with a leg kick from Linderman. Linderman landed a big right hand. Back and forth bout. Thirty-five with a leg kick from Linderman. Hale landed a Superman punch and ate a counter left hook. Linderman checked a leg kick. Linderman landed a big left. Fifteen. Linderman tried a double spinning high kick. The second round ended. I'd also give that round to Hale by an even larger margin there. The third round began and Hale came out with a leaping front kick that was blocked. Linderman blocked a high kick. Smith scored that last round for Linderman as well. Linderman blocked another. Hale landed a groin kick, time was called and right back in. Four thirty-five. It was a regular inside kick. Linderman worked a double there. Four fifteen. Linderman switched to a single. Four minutes. He kept working it. Linderman let it go working a body lock. Three thirty-five as he kneed the thigh, Hale replied. Linderman worked another double there. He switched back to a single. Three fifteen. Linderman kneed the thigh. Three minutes. Linderman fell to mount. He gave up the back with both hooks. Hale had the choke. Two thirty-five. Linderman escaped either way. Linderman turned to mount and back to the back with both hooks. Two fifteen. Hale kept working that choke. Two minutes. They're sitting against the cage now. 'On my card, he needs a finish,' Jimmy said of Hale. The mouse under Linderman's right eye popped. One thirty-five. One fifteen. One minute. Linderman turned to guard nearly. Thirty-five. He was halfway there. Nope Hale kept the back. Fifteen. Hale landed punches in under. The third round ended. 30-27 Hale. They gave the split decision to.... Hale.